Metrolina Speedway was an

auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...

track located in northeast

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...

on the

Metrolina Fairgrounds The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, ...

History

The track, also known as Charlotte Fairgrounds Speedway', was 1/2 mile (.804 km) in length and had a clay surface. It was paved for a short time in the 1970s to allow the

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. The privately owned company was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1948, and hi ...

circuit to hold races there. Many racers have raced at Metrolina Speedway, including

Dale Earnhardt Sr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driv ...

Brad Teague Brad Teague (born December 9, 1947) is a retired American professional stock car racing driver. He is a veteran of the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series. Personal life Teague was born in Buladean, Nort ...

, and

Harry Gant Harold Phil Gant"Harry P. Gant"
(born January 10, 1940), known for his many nicknames such as "The Ban ...

. It is one of many racetracks in the

Metrolina The Charlotte metropolitan area, sometimes referred to as Metrolina, is a metropolitan area of the U.S. states of North and South Carolina, within and surrounding the city of Charlotte. The metropolitan area also includes the cities of Gastonia, ...

region of

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and

South Carolina )''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no) , anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind" , Former = Province of South Carolina , seat = Columbia , LargestCity = Charleston , LargestMetro = ...

. In 2009, plans were announced to reopen the track as the Metrolina Speed and Sport Center. The track was to be repaved and the plans included a Go-Kart track, outdoor RC racing track, a hotel, and roof-top skate park but the proposal failed to move forward. The track was the subject of the first episode of ''

Lost Speedways ''Lost Speedways'' is a television documentary series produced by Peacock. The series is hosted by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team own ...

'' on

Peacock Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera ''Pavo (genus), Pavo'' and ''Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female pea ...

hosted by

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr. (born October 10, 1974) is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver, team owner, author, and an analyst for ''NASCAR on NBC''. He currently competes part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving t ...

A FedEx logistics center now sits on the site.

References

External links

Metrolina Speedway on Google Maps

Photos at Ghosts of Southern Dirt Track, the track in late 2005

Flickr photos tagged Metrolina Speedway
{{Coord, 35.319958, -80.836051, display=title Motorsport venues in North Carolina NASCAR tracks Sports venues in Charlotte, North Carolina 1982 establishments in North Carolina Sports venues completed in 1982 1998 disestablishments in North Carolina